It’s been a while since we’ve run a competition, but we’ve got a doozy for you today.  We’ve teamed up with TrendOY! to give you a chance to win a Nokia Lumia 900!

TrendOY! is designed to put a smile on your face every morning. You see, TrendOY! is a daily email publication that will help you discover one new gadget daily in your inbox. They discover some of the coolest, most interesting gadgets from around the globe that you’ve never seen.

We’ve partnered with them on a giveaway for you. Head over now, sign up with them and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a Nokia Lumia 900.

Competition: Win A Nokia Lumia 900! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

I’m half way through my competition now to win a cool Acer Iconia W500 Windows 7 tablet plus loads of Microsoft Press books, and now the really cool prizes are being given away.  This weekend there’s the last chance to win a copy of “HTML5 Step by Step” and a copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out“.  Starting Monday you can win signed paperbacks of both my Windows 7 books, “The Windows 7 Power Users Guide” and Troubleshooting.

After this is the bumper developer prize week with nothing less than a full paperback copy of the 1,700 page “Windows 7 Resource Kit” and the new 1,300 page hardback “Windows 7 Inside Out Deluxe Edition“, plus a copy of Troubleshooting too.

The best entry overall will win the Acer tablet in the final week.  The Iconia Tab W500 has a 10.1 inch multi-touch screen, 2GB memory, 32Gb SSD, 2 in 1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3, 1.3MP built-in webcam, Windows 7 Home premium 32-bit and Office 2010 Starter Edition preloaded and is worth around $550.

Anybody can enter, from anywhere in the world.  To enter just pop along here and you’ll see the instructions for the week’s competition and how to enter.  It is Facebook only this time, sorry if you’re not on Facebook, but in fairness all my competitions so far have been non-Facebook.  Below you can see some of the prizes.

You can enter the competition here.

Win an Acer Iconia W500 Windows 7 Tablet was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Over on my Facebook page I’ve started a great competiton where the grand prize is an Acer Iconia Tab W500 Windows 7 Tablet. The competition runs for six weeks and has some fantastic prizes.  Plus, if any winner says they’re from Windows7News there’s a secret bonus prize!

The tablet has a 10.1 inch multi-touch screen, 2GB memory, 32Gb SSD, 2 in 1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3, 1.3MP built-in webcam, Windows 7 Home Premiun 32-bit and Office 2010 Starter Edition preloaded

Each week will see different prizes with a grand prize in the final week. The prize breakdown and dates for the competition are as follows.

Week 1

Monday 17th October to Sunday 23rd October 2011 – Prizes 1 copy of “Windows 7 Plain & Simple” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Week 2

Monday 24th October to Sunday 30th October 2011 – Prizes 1 copy of “Windows 7 Step by Step” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Week 3

Monday 31st October to Sunday 6th November 2011 – Prizes 1 copy of “HTML5 Step by Step” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Week 4

Monday 7th November to Sunday 13th November 2011 – Prizes 1 signed copy of “The Windows 7 Power Users Guide” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Week 5

Monday 14th November to Sunday 20th November 2011 – Prizes 1 copy of “The Windows 7 Resource Kit“, 1 copy of “Windows 7 Inside Out Deluxe Edition” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Week 6

Monday 21st November to Sunday 27th November 2011 – Prizes 1 Acer Iconia Tab W500 Windows 7 Tablet with a 10.1 inch multi-touch screen, 2GB memory, 32Gb SSD, 2 in 1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3, 1.3MP built-in webcam, Windows 7 Home Premiun 32-bit and Office 2010 Starter Edition preloaded. 1 copy of “Windows 7 Inside Out Deluxe Edition” and 1 signed copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” as a bundle for one winner.

Entry Rules

• People following Mike Halsey MVP on Facebook may enter this competiton a maximum amount of once per week, duplicate entries will not be counted.
• Competiton questions will be posted once on the wall of Mike Halsey MVP each Monday throughout weeks 1 to 5.
• Entries can be accepted from people worldwide.
• All entries MUST contain the full name, postal address and contact telephone number (required by some couriers) of the participant. Entries submitted without this information will not be counted. This information will be deleted at the end of the competition and will not be shared with third-parties.
• All participants must be 16 years or older to comply with competition rules in some countries.
• All participants must be able to receive packages via standard postal mail or by courier.
• People may only win one of the weekly prizes (weeks 1 to 5) and the grand prize maximum. People cannot win two weekly prizes.
• People who have won a weekly prize may still enter following weeks to increase their chances of winning the grand prize, though their entry will not be counted in the week they enter.
• Each week’s competition will be slightly different to reflect the prizes on offer and may include open and multiple-choice questions and tip suggestions
• Each person must submit a tie-break tip each week on the subject provided, this subject will change each week.
• Entries must be emailed to mike@MVPs.org with the subject Competition during the weeky period of the competition, as stated above. NOTE: If this email address repeatedly fails (which it does sometimes) try mike_dot_halsey_at_live_dot_co_dot_uk
• Lost, late or undelivered entries cannot be counted.
• The winner of the grand prize will be selected from the best tie-break tip over the full course of the competition. There will be no separate way to enter during week 6.
• Winners will be notified by email within 6 days of the end of each week’s competition and will be required to accept their win within a calendar week. Any person who is non-contactable by email, or who does not accept their prize within the time permitted will forfeit their prize, which will be reallocated to a new winner.
• Prizes will be sent by a variety of methods including regular mail. No replacement prizes can be sent for any items lost or damaged in transit and no cash alternative will be available.
• Delivery of prizes can take 6 to 8 weeks depending on the location of the winner and the delivery method used.
• The winner will be chosen by Mike Halsey and judged on the quality of the answers given and their tie-break suggestion. Mike Halsey’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Entry to this competition constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Win a Windows 7 Tablet + Microsoft Press Books was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Microsoft UK are running a great competition called Save Sam.  “Sam is an IT Project Manager who has purchased a large batch of Windows 7 Enterprise licenses without consulting her bosses. They don’t want to move from XP and now her job’s at threat! She needs your help as an IT Professional to convince the board that Windows 7 is worth deploying.”  This is a video competition where, in three minutes or less you need to convince Sam’s bosses of the benefits of upgrading from Windows XP; a worthwhile activity for any business.

The competition is only open to UK residents but the prizes are fantastic and include…

Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB W500 Windows 7 Tablet
Sony 32″ LCT TV with Samsung BluRay Player
Lenovo IdeaCentre B320 21.5″ Multi-Touch All-in-One Desktop PC
Seagate 4Tb NAS drive with Sonos Play:5 and Sonos Bridge
Dell Inspiron Q15R Laptop
HTC Titan Windows Phone
Samsung 32″ 3D TV
Panasonic SD90 HD 3D Ready Camcorder with 3D conversion lens

The competition is being run by the UK TechNet Newsletter and anybody in the UK, except Microsoft employees can enter.  The competition runs in stages with six entry periods.

- Entry Period 1 (19 September 2011 – 03 October 2011)
- Entry Period 2 (03 October 2011 – 17 October 2011)
- Entry Period 3 (17 October 2011 – 31 October 2011)
- Entry Period 4 (31 October 2011 – 14 November 2011)
- Entry Period 5 (14 November 2011 – 28 November 2011)
- Entry Period 6 (28 November 2011 – 12 December 2011)

There is a different prize for each stage of the competition with the 3D kit going to the most viewed video overall.  Full details of the competition and how you can enter can be found here.  You can view my own first entry here with the promise that if this wins the first stage, the Acer W500 Tablet PC, I will be giving it away in a prize draw!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTZXKCeCOZc

“Save Sam” and Win Great Prizes was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter, Facebook and other sites will know that I’ve been asked by Microsoft to run an ‘Ask the Expert’ session at their upcoming Windows Desktop TechDay on Monday 23rd May in London (UK).

I’ve also arranged a Geek Meet the night before. I’ll be there to answer your questions and I’ll be giving away paperback copies of my book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out. Plus every attendee will get a free eBook of their choice from the O’Reilly / Microsoft Press catalogue, even my book I’m also hoping some people from Microsoft UK will be in attendance for drinks and a chat.

Best still, one lucky person will walk away with a state of the art Windows 7 Tablet PC courtesy of ExoPC.com.

The tablet has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 resolution screen, a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor and 2Gb of RAM. The hard disk is solid state and comes in 32Gb and 64Gb sizes.

This prize is worth around £600 and is a fantastic giveaway from the company, thanks very much to them. What’s more a representative from ExoPC will be there on the night to answer your questions and give away this fantastic prize.

So how will you win the ExoPC or a paperback copy of my book? This is easy, all you need to do follow myself and ExoPC on Twitter and/or Facebook on any of the following Links.

Mike Halsey MVP on Twitter
ExoPC on Twitter
Mike Halsey MVP on Facebook
ExoPC on Facebook

On the night you will need to bring along a printout (or smartphone) showing you’ve subscribed for your chance to enter and win.

The event will take place at the Bavarian Beerhouse (Tower Hill, London), The Arches, 9 Crutched Friars, EC3N 2AU, London from 8pm and you can find a map of the location HERE and you can also join the ‘Geek Meet’ Facebook group.

You MUST register on the group in advance so we have an idea of numbers as space is limited!!!

If you can’t make London!

I also have copies of my book in paperback up for grabs on my new Facebook group.

Win a Windows 7 Tablet at the London “Geek Meet” was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

The web is moving towards HTML5 with all new browsers supporting the standard including Chrome, Firefox and the forthcoming Internet Explorer 9. This new scripting language. It adds new tags including and the tag that can be used for creating effective animation and text effects. The language now allows you to embed all of this including full screen video without the use of any plug-ins such as Flash.

Here at gHacks we’ve got a copy of HTML5 Step by Step by Microsoft Press to give away. It doesn’t just cover HTML5 commands too, if you’re new to either HTML or CSS it will guide you through what you need to know to create engaging and interactive web pages.

Teach yourself how to create Web pages with the HTML5 specification—one step at a time. This book provides hands-on guidance for using HTML5 markup to add video, offline capabilities, 2-D graphics, and more to your Web pages—without relying on plug-ins or other technologies.

Experience learning made easy—and quickly teach yourself how to create Web pages with the HTML5 specification. With Step by Step, you set the pace—building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them!

• Use a division-based layout to structure your Web pages
• Include menu bars and hyperlinks for clear navigation
• Apply colors, font sizes, and other formatting with CSS
• Add graphics, sound, and video to your pages
• Use the Canvas tag to render visual images on the fly
• Build user-input forms with buttons, boxes, and menus

Your Step by Step digital content includes:

• All the book’s practice files—ready to download and put to work. See “Using the Practice Files,” inside.
• Fully searchable online edition of this book—with unlimited access on the Web. Free online account required; see inside book.

This is a simple competition too, all you need to do is the following.

• Follow @Mike_Halsey on Twitter and Tweet about this competition
• Don’t Tweet? You can also enter by following Mike on Facebook and putting a link to the competition there.

You can enter as many times as you like as long as you don’t spam people.

This competition will run until the end of Friday 25th February 2011 and the winner will be notifed by private message on Twitter or Facebook by Wednesday 2nd March 2011. Please allow 28 days (or so) for delivery of the paperback book. If you are the winner you will need to be able to provide your full mailing address (PO Boxes can’t be accepted, sorry).

Good luck to all, but there can only be one winner!

Competition: Win HTML5 Step by Step in Paperback was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

It wouldn’t be the holiday season without having a Christmas giveaway for you and we’ve got five copies of Windows7News’ editor Mike Halsey’s new Microsoft Press Book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out to give away to lucky readers.  Each winner will receive a copy of the book as an eBook in time for Christmas.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right in and troubleshoot Windows 7 — from the inside out!  This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery. 

 

• Use quick and simple guides to prevent problems such as data loss and identity theft
• Get the very best out of the built-in features
• Make your own quick fixes to the most common problems
• Handle viruses and other threats, and get tips to help protect against cyber-crime
• Learn advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Use step-by-step guides to diagnose and repair system and hardware issues
• Recover and restore the operating system — and your files — in the event of a disaster
• Use power utilities built into Windows 7 for performance, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics
• Get a companion ebook and additional content online

This really is a proper give-away too!  All you need to do is email Mike directly at mike.halsey[at]gmail.com with Windows7News Giveaway somewhere in your subject line by the end of this weekend (Sun 12th Dec).  5 winners will be selected, completely at random, early next week and the winners will be informed by email.

You can find out more about the book here.

Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out – [Christmas eBook Giveaway] was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

My new book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press is now officially on sale (and obviously I had a few drinkies last night to mark the occasion).  You still have time to enter our exclusive competiton to win copies but as a taster, here’s an excerpt from Chapter 13… Why Problems Occur with Windows.

———————>

So many things can go wrong with Windows because every single PC is unique . It is highly unlikely, especially outside of a business space, that another PC exists with exactly the same hardware, installed software specification, and updates as yours . Your PC will contain a unique mix of software and hardware components, and there would be no way for any person or any company to ever test all of the possible combinations for stability . There are logo certification programs for Windows hardware and software, and a great many vendors do indeed put their products forward for testing by Microsoft . All that these tests prove, however, is that on a basic Windows system, they will be stable and not cause the system to crash . What can’t be tested is how a certain piece of software or hardware will interact with other software or hardware on your machine, some of which might not have been submitted for certification .

Keep Things Simple

The sheer number of software packages you have installed or the number of hardware devices you have plugged in can also cause problems on your computer . I always keep my Windows systems simple and uncomplicated . When it comes to hardware, I like multifunctional devices such as printer/scanner combinations, and I avoid unnecessary USB devices, such as USB attached speakers . Your PC already comes with audio out jacks that are perfectly good .

I also try to avoid installing all the software that comes with a new device . Wi-Fi adapters and printers are common culprits for loading your PC with bloatware . You may also find, if you have a new PC, that it came preloaded with lots of software that you don’t need and will never use . The software packages that come bundled with hardware devices broadly fall into the following categories .

• Trialware Software that will expire after a period, normally 30 days . If you do not intend to buy the software after this time, you should uninstall it because it might, especially in the case of trial anti-virus software, leave programs and services running that can slow down Windows 7 or cause other problems .

• Dupliware Programs that duplicate Windows features, such as Wi-Fi connection software, media players, or CD/DVD burners .

• Craplets ‘Useful’ utilities that your PC supplier might have preloaded onto your computer . They are intended to simplify certain tasks, such as writing notes or accessing media files . They will always run when Windows launches at startup, although you will probably never use them . 

Don’t Install Programs that Duplicate Features in Windows

Why would you want to install a software package that simply duplicates Windows func­tionality? By default, the operating system can burn CDs and DVDs (including audio discs and ISO image files), play media (video, TV, and audio), display photos and images, and much more .

Although a few Windows functionalities available in Windows Vista have been removed from Windows 7, such as the Calendar and Email software, a great many functions still exist . (Note that these programs have been moved to the excellent Microsoft Live Essentials Suite, which you can get from http://download.live.com .)

The more software you install on your PC, the more problems you invite . If at all possible, avoid having software packages installed that duplicate functionality that’s already in Win­dows . CD/DVD burning software is a good example . You should need these only if you have a Blu-Ray burner in your machine .

What Are the Causes of Common Problems?

It’s very rare for Windows 7 to fail . Windows will fail on its own only if something disastrous happens, such as a power surge or a sudden reset while Windows is modifying a critical system file . Problems are more commonly caused by something outside of Windows, such as software, updates, and drivers . Physical hardware almost never causes problems in Win­dows . (But I will talk about diagnosing hardware problems in Chapter 19 .)

A great many of the problems with Windows are caused by poorly written software or hardware drivers or by having too many devices or programs installed on or in your PC . In my experience, the most common problems within Windows are caused, in order, by:

• 1 . Device drivers

• 2 . Poorly written software

• 3 . Poor security

• 4 . BIOS corruption (See more information on resetting the BIOS in Chapter 7, “Hardware”)

The Domino Effect

Some problems can cause what is called a domino effect, where one event sets off a string of other events, so it’s always advisable to diagnose and repair problems as early as you can after they first appear . One unchecked problem can then lead to others, because a malfunc­tioning process, service, or driver can cause other programs or Windows functions to fail, since these processes, services, or drivers are often shared by several applications or Win­dows components . For instance, you might have a problem with Internet Explorer crashing repeatedly . This could be because a component Internet Explorer shares with another Windows program, such as Windows Explorer, is corrupt or because another program or process is causing it to crash . I’ll cover the sometimes complex process of repairing Internet Explorer in Chapter 15, “Advanced Repair Methods .” The point is that the source of a prob­lem is not always obvious; a failing program may not be the root cause of the issue . In these cases, you can use more advanced diagnostic methods and tools to diagnose an issue . I will cover these in Chapter 14 through Chapter 16, “Windows Problems Demystified .”

Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?

If you’ve ever called an IT support department, the first question the support person prob­ably asked you is, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” This is a running joke with IT support professionals, because you might be amazed how often it fixes problems!

It might not be a permanent fix if there is something more serious happening, but for odd occasions when a software package suddenly crashes, restarting the PC will often fix the problem . Software crashes are common, and just because a program crashes once does not mean it will continue to do so . Crashes can be caused by freak conditions that are unlikely to recur, such as two programs trying to access the same file simultaneously.

With all IT problems, be they hardware or software, this is a good thing to try . You should also restart all external hardware devices attached to your PC when you restart the com­puter by manually switching them off and on again when you restart your computer.

The Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is notorious and, although not frequently seen in Win­dows 7, is still feared by many Windows users . The BSOD is the ultimate sign that Windows has died . However, the BSOD can provide some very useful information when you are troubleshooting problems that have caused it .

Figure 13-4 shows an example of a BSOD . I have marked two useful messages within the screen . The top one is the error type that caused the critical stop, in this case a PAGE_ FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, indicating a memory problem .

The Perpetual Restart

Figure 13-4 The Blue Screen of Death

The second callout, located in the Technical Information section of the screen, is the actual error code, in this case STOP: 0×00000050 . A BSOD may also provide additional information . The BSOD in Figure 13-4 indicates the Windows service that has failed: SPCMDCON .SYS .

If a BSOD provides this type of information, you can use it to search online for more infor­mation on the error . In this case, SPCMDCON .SYS is a “mini command console,” which isn’t the most useful description, but a search for the error code reveals that there are several problems with Windows 7 that can cause this specific error . You can search through the results to find a fix that works for you and your PC .

By far the most common cause of BSOD in Windows is a hardware driver error, especially from unsigned drivers that have not been tested and certified by Microsoft . On occasion, other issues, such as a poorly written piece of software or even a power drop, can cause the dreaded BSOD .

The Perpetual Restart

Sometimes Windows 7 will automatically restart when it encounters a critical error . This can cause terrible problems, with a PC constantly restarting and never loading the desktop .

You can disable automatic restart on the boot menu shown in Figure 13-5 . To access this menu, press F8 on your keyboard after the BIOS screen disappears but before the Starting Windows logo appears .

Figure 13-5 Disabling Windows automatic restart on system failure

Select Disable Automatic Restart On System Failure from the options list, as shown in Figure 13-5 . At the next critical stop, Windows will display the error message on the BSOD instead of automatically restarting . You may discover (unless you’re having an extremely bad day) that after making a note of the stop error code, you can start your PC in Safe Mode .

Summary

Honing your troubleshooting techniques is one of the most useful computer skills you can develop; every person will find a method that works best for him or her . Because comput­ers are so complex, using a step-by-step approach and attempting to eliminate first what a problem cannot be, will ultimately help you to identify the source of a problem . This is by no means the only way to troubleshoot a PC . You should never forget that sometimes you need to take a step back and sleep on a problem, or you may never find it .

Why Problems Occur with Windows (book excerpt) was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

To mark the release of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press, that has been written by Mike Halsey, one of the editors here at your favourite Windows 7 website Everything-Microsoft.com, we have a fantastic competition in conjunction with our sister site www.ghacks.net and a massive 52 prizes to give away!

The prizes here at Windows 7 News are…  3 copies of the book in paperback and 10 copies of the eBook.  PLUS!  Every winner and runner up will also receive a copy of Mike’s Windows 7 Power Users Guide as an eBook.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right in and troubleshoot Windows 7 — from the inside out!  This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

• Use quick and simple guides to prevent problems such as data loss and identity theft
• Get the very best out of the built-in features
• Make your own quick fixes to the most common problems
• Handle viruses and other threats, and get tips to help protect against cyber-crime
• Learn advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Use step-by-step guides to diagnose and repair system and hardware issues
• Recover and restore the operating system — and your files — in the event of a disaster
• Use power utilities built into Windows 7 for performance, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics
• Get a companion ebook and additional content online

So here’s how you enter!  We want to hear Your best Windows 7 troubleshooting tip.  Send your suggestion by email to Mike directly at mike.halsey[at]gmail.com.  Though tips such as “install Linux” and “buy a Mac” will be treated with the contempt they deserve 

There’s no limit on entries, you can enter this competition as many times as you like.  What’s more you can also enter the competiton at www.gHacks.net and double your chance of winning!

COMPETITION RULES (Please Read carefully)

1. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number (Microsoft Press must have these for posting a paperback copy to you), also include your email address in the body of the email.  Please allow 28 days or so for delivery of the book, some international winners may face a further delay.
2. Winning entries may be included in any 2nd Edition of the book, please indicate if you are happy to allow this (a credit in the book will be given). 
3. Entries must be emailed to mike.halsey[at]gmail.com, entries posted as comments on competition posts will not be accepted.
4. The closing date will be Monday 25th October 2010, winners will be announced by Thursday 28th on www.everything-microsoft.com.
5. The judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered into.

Windows7News Competition! Last Chance to Enter This Weekend! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

There’s still time to enter our competition with a massive 52 prizes across two websites!

To mark the release of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press, that has been written by Mike Halsey, one of the editors here at your favourite Windows 7 website Everything-Microsoft.com, we have a fantastic competition in conjunction with our sister site www.ghacks.net and a massive 52 prizes to give away!

The prizes here at Windows 7 News are…  3 copies of the book in paperback and 10 copies of the eBook.  PLUS!  Every winner and runner up will also receive a copy of Mike’s Windows 7 Power Users Guide as an eBook.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right in and troubleshoot Windows 7 — from the inside out!  This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

• Use quick and simple guides to prevent problems such as data loss and identity theft
• Get the very best out of the built-in features
• Make your own quick fixes to the most common problems
• Handle viruses and other threats, and get tips to help protect against cyber-crime
• Learn advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Use step-by-step guides to diagnose and repair system and hardware issues
• Recover and restore the operating system — and your files — in the event of a disaster
• Use power utilities built into Windows 7 for performance, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics
• Get a companion ebook and additional content online

So here’s how you enter!  We want to hear Your best Windows 7 troubleshooting tip.  Send your suggestion by email to Mike directly at mike.halsey[at]gmail.com.  Though tips such as “install Linux” and “buy a Mac” will be treated with the contempt they deserve 

There’s no limit on entries, you can enter this competition as many times as you like.  What’s more you can also enter the competiton at www.gHacks.net and double your chance of winning!

COMPETITION RULES (Please Read carefully)

1. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number (Microsoft Press must have these for posting a paperback copy to you), also include your email address in the body of the email.  Please allow 28 days or so for delivery of the book, some international winners may face a further delay.
2. Winning entries may be included in any 2nd Edition of the book, please indicate if you are happy to allow this (a credit in the book will be given). 
3. Entries must be emailed to mike.halsey[at]gmail.com, entries posted as comments on competition posts will not be accepted.
4. The closing date will be Monday 25th October 2010, winners will be announced by Thursday 28th on www.everything-microsoft.com.
5. The judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered into.

Windows7News Competition!! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

To mark the release of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press, that has been written by Mike Halsey, one of the editors here at your favourite Windows 7 website Everything-Microsoft.com, we have a fantastic competition in conjunction with our sister site www.ghacks.net and a massive 52 prizes to give away!

The prizes here at Windows 7 News are…  3 copies of the book in paperback and 10 copies of the eBook.  PLUS!  Every winner and runner up will also receive a copy of Mike’s Windows 7 Power Users Guide as an eBook.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right in and troubleshoot Windows 7 — from the inside out!  This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

• Use quick and simple guides to prevent problems such as data loss and identity theft
• Get the very best out of the built-in features
• Make your own quick fixes to the most common problems
• Handle viruses and other threats, and get tips to help protect against cyber-crime
• Learn advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Use step-by-step guides to diagnose and repair system and hardware issues
• Recover and restore the operating system — and your files — in the event of a disaster
• Use power utilities built into Windows 7 for performance, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics
• Get a companion ebook and additional content online

So here’s how you enter!  We want to hear Your best Windows 7 troubleshooting tip.  Send your suggestion by email to Mike directly at mike.halsey[at]gmail.com.  Though tips such as “install Linux” and “buy a Mac” will be treated with the contempt they deserve 

There’s no limit on entries, you can enter this competition as many times as you like.  What’s more you can also enter the competiton at www.gHacks.net and double your chance of winning!

COMPETITION RULES (Please Read carefully)

1. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number (Microsoft Press must have these for posting a paperback copy to you), also include your email address in the body of the email.  Please allow 28 days or so for delivery of the book, some international winners may face a further delay.
2. Winning entries may be included in any 2nd Edition of the book, please indicate if you are happy to allow this (a credit in the book will be given). 
3. Entries must be emailed to mike.halsey[at]gmail.com, entries posted as comments on competition posts will not be accepted.
4. The closing date will be Monday 25th October 2010, winners will be announced by Thursday 28th on www.everything-microsoft.com.
5. The judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered into.

COMPETITION! Win “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

You may have recently purchased a netbook that is running the cheapest version of Windows 7. Windows 7 Starter, this version has several limitations, for one it doesn’t support 64 bit, not that you would have a 64 bit netbook but it also lacks support for the Aero Features and other personalisation features, as well as many more.

Maybe this is your chance though if you’ve been stuck with Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft themselves are even feeling sorry for you and are giving away free copies of Windows 7 Home Premium RTM to users running Windows 7 Starter. Microsoft are giving away 6 copies of Windows 7 Home Premium via a sweepstakes over at the Microsoft Sweepstakes for Windows 7 WAU (Windows Anytime Upgrade)

Microsoft’s in house blogger Brandon LeBlanc revealed the competition to users running netbooks with Windows 7 starter.

Here’s what he had to say

“Many people who have purchased Windows 7 netbooks in the last few months are likely running Windows 7 Starter. What if you could instantly upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium and take advantage of features like personalizing your Windows 7 desktop with neat Windows 7 themes, or Windows Media Center? You can with Windows Anytime Upgrade. And I’m giving a handful of our readers a chance to upgrade themselves from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium, at no cost,”

Unfortunately the sweepstakes is only open to users in the US and you have to do a bit of work to be in with a chance to win a free copy. Firstly you need to head on over to the official Windows blog and then leave a comment related to your Windows 7 Starter netbook experience so far.

Then you sit back and cross your fingers. Microsoft will kick off the sweepstakes at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on April 15, 2010 and entries will be accepted only until 11:59 p.m. PT on April 19, 2010.

To enter to win 1 of the 6 copies of Windows Anytime Upgrade I’m giving away, all you need to do is leave a comment telling about your netbook in one short paragraph. I want to know what kind of netbook it is, where you bought it, and what you primarily use it for. I’m in the market for a new netbook and want to see what everyone is using! We will leave comments open on the post through Monday April 19th. On Tuesday, April 20th, we will print off everyone’s comments and randomly draw them from a Windows 7 hat I have here in my office. We will announce the winners in a follow-up blog post on Wednesday April 21st. Must be 14 years or older and a legal US resident to enter. There can only be one entry per person,”

So there you guys, if your eligible why not enter and you never know, you may be lucky! But seriously Windows 7 Starter is very limited and I would have upgraded long ago if I was running it.

Win A Free Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade From Microsoft was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

On Day 9 of our $9k Christmas Giveaway we are giving away one of our best prizes.  Today the lucky winner of our main reverse auction over will win $300 of free computer memory of their choice from Crucial Technology!  If you’re looking to give your Windows 7 PC a performance boost then adding good quality fast memory will do the trick.  To play all you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway auction site and start bidding in our reverse auction- all bids are free!

To read more and how to play click here.

If that wasn’t enough we are also giving away today:

• Uniblue PowerSute Worth $100
• WinX DVD Ripper Worth $29.99

Over on sister site ghacks we are also giving away hundreds of dollars of software away everyday – click here to visit their Christmas Giveway.

Win $300 Of Free Crucial Memory

Win $300 of high quality PC memory courtesy of Crucial Memory. Winner gets to choose their own memory up to a value of $300. Get bidding now! The lowest bid wins!

Crucial is a key brand in the Lexar Media family of products. As Memory Experts Crucial are the only DRAM supplier that’s part of a major memory manufacturer.

Crucial are one of the leading suppliers of high-quality memory that has been qualified and approved by most major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). On their website you can find innovative tools that will make it easy to choose compatible memory and recommended upgrades.

Visit Crucial Memory now for your next memory upgrade.

Day 9 Christmas Giveaway – Win $300 Of Crucial Memory! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

In tandem with our sister site Windows 7 News, we’ve been giving away over $9000 worth of software and hardware this month.  So far we’ve had some amazing prizes, and on Day 9 of our $9k Christmas Giveaway we are giving away one of our best prizes.  Today the lucky winner of our main reverse auction over will win $300 of free computer memory of their choice from Crucial Technology!  If you’re looking to give your Windows 7 PC a performance boost then adding good quality fast memory will do the trick.  To play all you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway auction site and start bidding in our reverse auction- all bids are free!

To read more and how to play click here.

If that wasn’t enough we are also giving away today:

• Uniblue PowerSute Worth $100
• WinX DVD Ripper Worth $29.99

Over on sister site ghacks we are also giving away hundreds of dollars of software away everyday – click here to visit their Christmas Giveway.

Win $300 Of Free Crucial Memory

Win $300 of high quality PC memory courtesy of Crucial Memory. Winner gets to choose their own memory up to a value of $300. Get bidding now! The lowest bid wins!

Crucial is a key brand in the Lexar Media family of products. As Memory Experts Crucial are the only DRAM supplier that’s part of a major memory manufacturer.

Crucial are one of the leading suppliers of high-quality memory that has been qualified and approved by most major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). On their website you can find innovative tools that will make it easy to choose compatible memory and recommended upgrades.

Visit Crucial Memory now for your next memory upgrade.

Win $300 Of Crucial Memory For Your PC! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

We’ve hit the 7th day of our $9K Christmas Giveway and today we’ve got some hot prizes.  Our main prize today is a Belkin N+ Wireless Router and a Belkin N+ USB Adaptor worth $200 in total.  Don’t worry if you don’t win this one – we have another set to give away later in the month!  If that’s not enough for you, we’re also giving away today:

• a copy of Uniblue PowerSuite worth $100
• a copy of MediaMonkey Gold worth $40
• a copy of Tidysongs worth $40

That’s $380 in total in prizes!  To win all you need to do is guess the lowest number that nobody else guesses.  All bids are free - click here to play now!

Win $200 of wireless home networking hardware courtesy of Belkin

The Winner will receive a Belkin N+ Wireless Router and a Belkin N+ USB Adaptor donated by Belkin.

Belkin N+ Wireless Router

Belkin’s N+ Wireless Router features a USB Storage port on the back of the router for connecting USB storage devices such as an external hard drive or thumb drive to the network. Now you can centrally store and share media content and files from the USB hard drive to every computer on the network.

This router also features gigabit Ethernet ports for a wired connection that can handle applications that take up a large amount of bandwidth. The N+ router is based on the draft 802.11n 2.0 technology which provides the wireless range to easily cover any-size home or office. The N+ Router has the bandwidth and speed for handling media intensive applications that take up large amounts of your bandwidth.

Belkin N+ USB Adaptor

The N+ Wireless USB Adapter connects your desktop or notebook computer to a wireless network. It Provides optimal wireless range and speeds when paired with an N or N+ Router. roviding greater range and faster speeds, N offers an excellent solution for transferring large files such as video, music, photos, and documents among the networked computers in your home.

Based on the 802.11n draft, N Wireless enables multiple receivers and transmitters to send and receive data using Intelligent MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) spatial multiplexing techniques which greatly increases speed, coverage, and the reliability of the wireless network.

Christmas Giveway Day 7: Win Belkin Router & USB Key was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

We’re 1/5 of the way through our Christmas Giveaway where in total we are giving away over $9000 in prizes.  On day 4 we gave away several prizes:

• Uniblue RegistryBooster 2010 Worth $30!!
• Uniblue PowerSuite Bundle Worth $100!!
• Free Copy Of WinRAR Worth $45!!
• Recover My Files Professional Worth $100!!
• TidySongs Worth $39!!!
• Bulk Image Downloader Worth $24.95!

Congratulations to the winners!!

Christmas Giveaway Day 5

Today we’ve got a special prize courtesy of the generous team at linksys: The winner of this auction will win a cutting edge Linksys WRT610 Dual-N Band Wireless Router Worth $200! We’ve also got the following available to win today (auctions close at 8pm PST):

• Acronis Disk Director Suite 10+Acronis True Image Worth $100!
• A-squared Anti-Malware worth $40!!
• Media Monkey Gold worth $40!!

To win all you need to do is guess the lowest number that nobody else guesses.

Win Linksys WRT610 Dual-N Band Wireless Router Worth $200!

This top of the range router is built to last. Expect to have it in your household for many years. we’d like to say a big thank you to Linksys for making such a generous donation. If you want to learn more about the Linksys WRT610 then check out the Linksys blog, facebook and also twitter for the latest Linksys offers.

We’ve actually got two of these to give away later on in the giveaway.  Not only does this amazing router support 802.11n giving you the fastest possible transfer speeds and range, it also has two band of Wireless-N. Both bands are available at the same time:

• You can use the more congested 2.4Ghz 802.11n band for surfing and general net usage.
• And you can use the 5Ghz 802.11n band for applications that need the best connection e.g. streaming music, gaming or HD (even 1080p over wireless!) video

The WT610 router incorporates MIMO technology – so smart that it adjusts your signal in realtime based on the router AND card location to ensure you get the best range and coverage.

Key Features:

• Internet-sharing Router and 4-port Gigabit Switch, with a built-in, dual-band, speed and range enhanced Wireless Access Point
• Works simultaneously in the 2.4 and 5 gigahertz radio bands, doubling your network capacity
• Use the less-crowded 5GHz band for time-sensitive music, video streaming or gaming
• Use the 2.4GHz band for non-critical traffic, and your legacy Wireless-G and -B devices
• Both bands use Wireless-N technology for robust speed and range, and more complete coverage throughout your home
• Also works with Wireless-G, -B, and -A devices
• 4-port Gigabit switch delivers wired speeds that are 10 times faster than 10/100 “Fast Ethernet” connections
• Storage Link lets you connect a hard drive or flash-based USB storage device to allow access to your music, video, or data files from within your network, or through the Internet
• Built-in Media Server, streams music, video, and photos to any UPnP compatible media adapter
• Wi-Fi Protected Setup helps make wireless configuration secure and push button easy
• Wireless signals are protected by industrial-strength WPA2 encryption, and your network is protected from most known Internet attacks by a powerful SPI firewall
• Easy to install on a Windows PC or Mac with Cisco Setup Wizard
• Included Network Magic software helps manage and optimize your network
• Includes 30-Day Free Trial of Trend Micro Internet Security software to help protect against viruses, spyware, and identity theft
• All ports support Gigabit speed and Auto-Crossover (MDI/MDI-X) — no need for crossover cables
• Complies with the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11 b, 802.11g, and 802.11n draft 2 standards

Win Acronis Disk Director Suite 10 + Acronis True Image 2010 – Worth $100!!

The lowest unique bid in this auction will win not one, but two great applications – Acronis Disk Director Suite 10 + Acronis True Image 2010 – Worth $100!!

Acronis Disk Director 10

Looking to secure your PC at the same time as making it quicker? The n this classic app is for you. Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0 is the easiest and most convenient partition manager and hard disk toolkit. It brings together the most popular disk management functions, partition recovery tools, and boot disk manager for Windows XP and Vista desktop systems.

Key Features:

• Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0 combines a number of previous Acronis disk management tools into one solution:
• Partition Manager allows you to resize, move, copy, split, and merge partitions without losing your data
• Boot Manager is a multi-boot software utility that allows you to install multiple operating systems on your PC
• Partition Recovery allows you to recover accidentally lost or deleted partitions
• Disk Editor is a disk drive repair tool that allows you to perform advanced operations on your hard disk drive, such as restoration of boot records and hexadecimal editing.
• Don’t worry if you don’t win the auction, you can try this app for free.

Acronis True Image Home 2010

Acronis True Image is one of the best known PC applications. Now supporting Windows 7, with Acronis True Image Home 2010, rest assured that all your important data including images, music, documents and applications are well protected and can easily be recovered in the event of any disaster.

• Easy and Fast Backup and Recovery: Acronis True Image Home 2010 provides home users reliable and timeless backup and recovery of their operating system, applications, settings and personal files.
• Friendly, Windows®-style User Interface: From an intuitive graphical interface, you can easily define where, locally or online, and how often to backup a PC based on your needs.
• Acronis Online Backupâ„¢ to a secure location: Optional Acronis online storage services are available to automatically backup valuable data or files over the internet to a secure location.
• Continuous data protection: In addition, Acronis Nonstop Backupâ„¢ provides continuous system and data protection, preventing data loss

To try Acronis True Image Home 2010 free, click here.

$9K Christmas Giveaway Day 5: Win a Linksys Router Worth $200!! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Our Christmas Giveaway is picking up momentum now with lots of users having fun bidding for free to win a share of over $9000 in prizes.  On day 3 we saw some very frantic bidding in our reverse auctions, with one of our prizes going for a record amount:

• $300 In Amazon Vouchers – Lowest Unique bid $16.99 (!!), won by vamtastic
• Copy of a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 – Lowest Unique bid $1.08, won by vjnag81

Congratulations to our winners.

Day 4 Christmas Giveaway

Now that everyone seems to be getting the hang of the free reverse auctions, I thought we’d have our largest prize day so far. Today we are giving away:

• Uniblue RegistryBooster 2010 Worth $30!!
• Uniblue PowerSuite Bundle Worth $100!!
• Free Copy Of WinRAR Worth $45!!
• Recover My Files Professional Worth $100!!
• TidySongs Worth $39!!!
• Bulk Image Downloader Worth $24.95!

Power Suite From Uniblue – Worth $100!!

The lowest bid in this auction wins THREE great applications worth $100!!

This Power Bundle from Uniblue includes:

• RegistryBooster 2010 Worth $29.99
• DriverScanner 2009 Worth $29.99
• SpeedUpMyPC Worth $29.99

RegistryBooster 2010

RegistryBooster is the easy answer to all your Windows registry problems. This award winning software starts by conducting a deep scan of your registry, checking for file extension errors and other registry conflicts. RegistryBooster will then repair or remove unused, corrupted and harmful files so optimizing your PC’s performance. You can then use regular scans to keep your registry structured and your PC speeding along at peak efficiency. With RegistryBooster you’ll see immediate increases in performance and decreases in system conflicts.

Click here to run a Free Registry scan

DriverScanner 2009

With so many drivers installed on your system you cannot reasonably keep track of which drivers have been updated, which is why you need driver update management software to help out. Driver Scanner is the perfect solution for automatically updating drivers, saving you the hassle of having to identifying all your system’s drivers, then find updates for them using, before then downloading them from the manufacturer’s website. Driver Scanner scans your PC’s drivers and checks them against our comprehensive library of the latest drivers, to give you a full list of all those that need to be updated. With single click simplicity Driver Scanner will then install each update on your PC. But what’s more, Driver Scanner will also backup all your drivers to an external device, meaning that the next time you reinstall your system you can load up all your latest drivers, from one place

Click here to run a Free driver update scan

SpeedUpMyPC 2009

SpeedUpMyPC 2009, Uniblue’s award-winning speed up computer solution, lets you monitor and control all your PC resources with easy, one click instructions. System settings, internet usage, disk clutter, RAM and CPU are all automatically scanned, cleaned and optimized for peak performance. You can also selectively disable or remove unnecessary background and auto-start processes to cut valuable seconds off your startup time.

Click here to run a Free Performance scan

Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!

WinRAR can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

WinRar Benefits

• Using WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression by consistently making smaller archives than the competition, saving disk space and transmission costs
• WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives
• WinRAR offers a graphic interactive interface utilizing mouse and menus as well as the command line interface
• When you purchase WinRAR license you are buying a license to the complete technology, no need to purchase add-ons to create self-extracting files, it’s all included
• WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special “Wizard” mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use
• WinRAR offers you the benefit of industry strength archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits
• WinRAR supports files and archives up to 8,589 billion gigabytes in size. The number of archived files is, for all practical purposes, unlimited
• WinRAR offers the ability to create selfextracting and multivolume archives
• Recovery record and recovery volumes allow to reconstruct even physically damaged archives
• WinRAR features are constantly being developed to keep WinRAR ahead of the pack

Free copy of RecoverMyFiles - Worth $100!!

Need file recovery? Or hard drive data recovery software?

Recover deleted files Quickly and Easily!

Recover My Files data recovery software will easily recover deleted files emptied from the Windows Recycle Bin, or lost due to the format or corruption of a hard drive, virus or Trojan infection, unexpected system shutdown or software failure.

“Recover My Files combines simplicity of use with the most powerful file recovery software engine, together with a unique capability of “on-the-fly” data preview while the search is being conducted.”

Recover My Files is fast and easy. No technical or data recovery software skills are required to undelete files. Use Recover My Files to perform hard drive data recovery, or if you are trying to unformat and recover data from floppy disk, zip drive, smart media, compact flash or other removable media. It is easy disk recovery software to undelete files and get data back.

Do not waste time and money on other software wondering if you can recover deleted files.Download and try Recover My Files undelete software free. Scan your drive and view your deleted files. If you can see your deleted files then data recovery is quick and easy.

Try Recover My Files

Free Copy of TidySongs

The winner with the lowest unique bid in this auction will win a FREE copy of Tidysongs worth $39!!

TidySongs is an easy and powerful program that will fix any missing or misspelled song details, add album artwork, remove duplicate songs and organize your music. Try Tidysongs free for your first 50 songs.

Try Now!

Remove Duplicate Songs

TidySongs features a smart duplicate song remover that searches your song library to find duplicates – even duplicates that are spelled differently. Use the options to choose to keep the songs with the higher bitrate or longer length. Simulation mode allows you to test things without accidentally removing songs you want to keep.

Fix Misspelled Song Details

Misspelled and missing song details makes your music ugly and impossible to browse on an iPod. TidySongs fixes misspelled and missing artist, album, name, track, year and genre details and renames artists and albums with their correct format (i.e. “Dave Matthews Band” not “Dave Matthews”).This is done automatically – you don’t have to type anything.

Fill In Missing Artists, Years and Genres

Make your song library easier to browse by letting TidySongs automatically fill in the artist, album release year and genre for each song. When fixing songs, you can choose to use information from the original album the song was released on or a compilation or greatest hits. TidySongs keeps your music organized.

Add Missing Album Artwork

Make your music look good. TidySongs automatically downloads high resolution album artwork for each of your songs so that it displays on your computer, in iTunes and on your iPod, iPhone, TV or other music player.

Other programs and websites make you manually find and add each image – TidySongs is automatic.

Automatic! No Typing Necessary!

How long would it take you to fix all of your songs by hand? What if you had more than 1,000 songs? TidySongs uses a smart online music database with information on more than 4 million songs to automatically download the correct details for each of your songs so you don’t have to type it in.

Bulk Image Downloader Worth $24.95!

In this auction we are giving away a full version of the brilliant Bulk Image Downloader, the best way to download multiple images from the web worth $24.95!

Not just for images; BID also supports VIDEO downloading from YouTube, Google Video, DailyMotion, MetaCafe, MegaVideo, YouPorn, PornHub, RedTube, Tube8, MegaPorn as well as directly linked video files (.avi, .wmv, .mpeg, .mov, .flv, etc)

Bulk Image Downloader is a powerful, yet very easy to use web gallery downloader.  Download the FREE 30 day trial and start downloading those images and videos now!

• Downloads entire image galleries automatically (no more endless right clicking to “save image as…”)
• Integrates with IE, FireFox and Opera. Just right click on a gallery page or gallery link and select “Download with Bulk Image Downloader”
• Download from video sites like YouTube, Google Video, DailyMotion, MetaCafe, MegaVideo, YouPorn, PornHub, RedTube, Tube8, MegaPorn
• Downloads thumbnailed video files (.mpg, .avi. .mov, etc)
• No complicated configuration or project files needed – it just works
• Works on sites that the other image downloaders don’t
• Automatically locates and downloads images that have had their true locations hidden by redirection “services” such as usercash, linkbucks, etc.
• Saves time – galleries are downloaded as fast as your connection will allow
• Saves bandwidth – adverts and popups are not downloaded, just the images
• Validates and automatically retries partial or corrupt images, resuming downloads where possible
• Automatically detects and downloads from most multi page forum threads and galleries
• Downloads vbulletin forum attached images
• Multiple gallery download jobs can be queued and downloaded at a later time via the integrated Queue Manager

$9k Christmas Giveaway – Day 4 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

In tandem with our sister site Windows 7 News & Tips we are giving away over $9000 this December.  Yes, everyday between Dec 1st and Dec 24th we are giving away prizes worth over $300!!

Entry is free and you can enter as many times as you want.  All you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway and start bidding for free on the prizes you want to win.  It’s a reverse auction so the lowest unique bid wins.

Auctions will run from 24 hours each day starting at 8PM PST – keep checking the site for details of the new prizes added daily that you can win!

Start bidding now!!

Also visit ghacks where Martin is also giving away thousands of dollars in prizes!!

We're Giving Away $9K This December!! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

We had some teething problems with the auction site yesterday that are now resolved and day 2 winners of our $9K Christmas Giveaway have now been notified.  Yesterday we gave away:

• Free utilities and performance software from UNIBLUE - Worth $100!!
• Free Unlimited Online Backup Account from Mozy - Worth $55!!
• More software from UNIBLUE - Worth $30!!
• Free Copy of MediaMonkey Gold - Worth $40!!
• Free copy of RecoverMyFiles - Worth $100!!

Day 3 Christmas Giveaway – $300 in Amazon Vouchers!!

Today in our Christmas Giveaway we are giving away $300 in Amazon vouchers in addition to another copy of  A-Squared Anti-Malware 4.5 worth $40!! To play all you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway auction site and start bidding in our reverse auction- all bids are free!  To read more and how to play click here.

Auctions will run from 24 hours each day starting at 8PM PST- keep checking the site each day for details of the new prizes you can win!

Start bidding now!!

Also visit ghacks where Martin is also giving away thousands of dollars in prizes!!

a-Squared Anti-Malware 4.5  - Worth $40!!

a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 provides comprehensive PC protection against trojans, viruses, spyware, adware, worms, bots, keyloggers, rootkits and dialers.

2 cleaning scanners in 1: Anti-Virus + Anti-Spyware

• Not just any scanners, but a combination of two world class products – the a-squared Anti-Spyware, and the Ikarus Anti-Virus engine. Latest tests approve that both are cutting edge in Malware detection
• No doubling of the scan duration as would be the case with two separate scanning programs. Considerable performance improvement is possible thanks to the integration of the two engines on the lowest level
• No double price – two top security products for the price of one.

2 guards against new infections: signature scan + behavior analysis

• When a Malware infection is detected, the scanner puts the found objects under quarantine or deletes them finally
• Anti-Malware holds plenty of advanced options for experts to detect and delete Malware manually. For this purpose the integrated system analysis tool HiJackFree is included, and helps you to have all processes, services, auto-runs, open ports, browser plug-ins, LSPs and host entries under your control
• For tough problems our helpful Malware experts are at your disposal for free. With their help, any infection, no matter how resistant it is, can be purged – guaranteed

Protect your PC and start bidding now! If you don’t win then you can still try a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 free for 30 days!

$9k Christmas Giveaway – Day 3 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Our Christmas Giveaway is now in full swing!  Martin secured some more prizes yesterday and we now have more than $9000 IN PRIZES TO GIVE AWAY! To play all you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway auction site and start bidding in our reverse auction- all bids are free!  To read more and how to play click here.

Day 1 Christmas Giveaway Winners

On the first day of the Giveaway we had 3 great prizes totalling $385 available:

• 1 Year Giganews Platinum Account Worth $300: winner ‘marclofs’
• Free Copy of WinRAR Worth $45: winner ‘infrablack’
• Copy of a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5: winner ‘vinods’

We had thousands of entries so it was surprising that the winning bids were all under 25 cents!  I don’t think this will happen again.  Well done to the winners!

Day 2 Christmas Giveaway Prizes

Auctions will run from 24 hours each day starting at 8PM PST

• Free utilities and performance software from UNIBLUE - Worth $100!!
• Free Unlimited Online Backup Account from Mozy - Worth $55!!
• More software from UNIBLUE - Worth $30!!
• Free Copy of MediaMonkey Gold - Worth $40!!
• Free copy of RecoverMyFiles - Worth $100!!

Start bidding now!!

Power Suite From Uniblue – Worth $100!!

The lowest bid in this auction wins THREE great applications worth $100!!

This Power Bundle from Uniblue includes:

• RegistryBooster 2010 Worth $29.99
• DriverScanner 2009 Worth $29.99
• SpeedUpMyPC Worth $29.99

RegistryBooster 2010

RegistryBooster is the easy answer to all your Windows registry problems. This award winning software starts by conducting a deep scan of your registry, checking for file extension errors and other registry conflicts. RegistryBooster will then repair or remove unused, corrupted and harmful files so optimizing your PC’s performance. You can then use regular scans to keep your registry structured and your PC speeding along at peak efficiency. With RegistryBooster you’ll see immediate increases in performance and decreases in system conflicts.

Click here to run a Free Registry scan

DriverScanner 2009

With so many drivers installed on your system you cannot reasonably keep track of which drivers have been updated, which is why you need driver update management software to help out. Driver Scanner is the perfect solution for automatically updating drivers, saving you the hassle of having to identifying all your system’s drivers, then find updates for them using, before then downloading them from the manufacturer’s website. Driver Scanner scans your PC’s drivers and checks them against our comprehensive library of the latest drivers, to give you a full list of all those that need to be updated. With single click simplicity Driver Scanner will then install each update on your PC. But what’s more, Driver Scanner will also backup all your drivers to an external device, meaning that the next time you reinstall your system you can load up all your latest drivers, from one place

Click here to run a Free driver update scan

SpeedUpMyPC 2009

SpeedUpMyPC 2009, Uniblue’s award-winning speed up computer solution, lets you monitor and control all your PC resources with easy, one click instructions. System settings, internet usage, disk clutter, RAM and CPU are all automatically scanned, cleaned and optimized for peak performance. You can also selectively disable or remove unnecessary background and auto-start processes to cut valuable seconds off your startup time.

Click here to run a Free Performance scan

Free Unlimited Online Backup Account from Mozy - Worth $55!!

The winner with the lowest unique bid in this auction will win a FREE Mozy Home Unlimited Backup Account worth $55!

Protect your files now with Mozy who have made online backup possible for everyone with an affordable, secure solution that’s easy to use.

Download and install Mozy to ensure your photos, music, Outlook files and other important documents are safely backed up at a secure, remote location.

Alternatives to MozyHome:

• Burn a new CD or DVD every Sunday night and store it at your brother-in-law’s office.
• Pay $200/year for an online backup service that uses old, mediocre software.
• Buy a $200 external hard drive and hope your office doesn’t burn down.
• Do nothing and don’t worry about backup. (We suggest closing your eyes, plugging your ears and repeating “I’m in my happy place, I’m in my happy place.”)
• Run a cron job of rsync, gzip and mcrypt piped over ssh to your friend’s server over his DSL line.
• Of course, we think MozyHome is the best and easiest solution to the backup problem!

Get MozyHome!

Free Copy of MediaMonkey Gold - Worth $40!!

The winner who has the lowest unique bid in this auction will win a FREE copy of MediaMonkey Gold worth $40!!

MediaMonkey is the best mp3 player on the market and the premium Gold service is even better:

• Organize music and edit tags in your audio library with a powerful, intuitive interface.
• Automatically lookup and tag Album Art and other metadata.
• Manage 50,000+ files in your music collection without bogging down.
• Manage all genres of audio: Rock, Classical, Audiobooks, Comedy, Podcasts, etc.
• Play MP3s and other audio formats, and never again worry about varying volume.
• Record CDs and convert MP3s, M4A, OGG, FLAC and WMA files etc. into other formats.
• Create playlists and let Auto-DJ & Party Mode take care of your party.
• Sync iPhones, iPods, & MP3 players, converting & leveling tracks on-the-fly.

If you want to give MediaMonkey a try, the free version is also excellent.

Try MediaMonkey now!

Free copy of RecoverMyFiles - Worth $100!!

Need file recovery? Or hard drive data recovery software?

Recover deleted files Quickly and Easily!

Recover My Files data recovery software will easily recover deleted files emptied from the Windows Recycle Bin, or lost due to the format or corruption of a hard drive, virus or Trojan infection, unexpected system shutdown or software failure.

“Recover My Files combines simplicity of use with the most powerful file recovery software engine, together with a unique capability of “on-the-fly” data preview while the search is being conducted.”

Recover My Files is fast and easy. No technical or data recovery software skills are required to undelete files. Use Recover My Files to perform hard drive data recovery, or if you are trying to unformat and recover data from floppy disk, zip drive, smart media, compact flash or other removable media. It is easy disk recovery software to undelete files and get data back.

Do not waste time and money on other software wondering if you can recover deleted files.Download and try Recover My Files undelete software free. Scan your drive and view your deleted files. If you can see your deleted files then data recovery is quick and easy.

Try Recover My Files

$9k Christmas Giveaway – Day 2 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Day 1 of our Christmas Giveaway has begun we’re we are giving away $8000 in prizes in December!! Everyday between Dec 1st and Dec 24th we will be giving away a minimum of $300 in prizes to lucky readers.  Entry is free and you can enter as many times as you want.  All you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway and start bidding for free on the prizes you want to win.  It’s a reverse auction so the lowest unique bid wins.

Auctions will run from 24 hours each day starting at 8PM PST – keep checking the site for details of the new prizes added daily that you can win!

Start bidding now!!

Also visit ghacks where Martin is also giving away thousands of dollars in prizes!!

Day 1 Christmas Giveaway Prizes – Auctions end 8PM PST 1/12/09

On the first day of the Giveaway we have 3 great prizes totalling $385 available:

• 1 Year Giganews Platinum Account – Worth $300!!
• Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!
• Copy of a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 - Worth $40!!

Day 2 Christmas Giveaway Prizes PREVIEW- Auctions end 8PM PST 2/12/09

On the second day of the Giveaway we have 3 great prizes totalling $325 available:

• Free utilities and performance software from UNIBLUE – Worth $100!!
• Free Unlimited Online Backup Account from Mozy – Worth $55!!
• More software from UNIBLUE – Worth $30!!
• Free Copy of MediaMonkey Gold – Worth $40!!
• Free copy of RecoverMyFiles – Worth $100!!

To see all prizes click here

1 Year Giganews Platinum Account – Worth $300!!

The winner with the lowest unique bid will win a FREE Giganews Platinum account worth $300! With a Giganews Platinum account from the leading Usenet Provider you get Unlimited Monthly Bandwidth Allowance, 478 days retention and much more:

• 109,000 Uncensored Newsgroups
• 256-bit SSL Encryption and 50 connections
• 24hr Member Support
• 99%+ Completion rate
• Broadband Download Speeds

Don’t worry if you don’t win as Giganews currently have an amazing 50% off the first two months offer!

Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!

WinRAR can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

WinRar Benefits

• Using WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression by consistently making smaller archives than the competition, saving disk space and transmission costs
• WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives
• WinRAR offers a graphic interactive interface utilizing mouse and menus as well as the command line interface
• When you purchase WinRAR license you are buying a license to the complete technology, no need to purchase add-ons to create self-extracting files, it’s all included
• WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special “Wizard” mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use
• WinRAR offers you the benefit of industry strength archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits
• WinRAR supports files and archives up to 8,589 billion gigabytes in size. The number of archived files is, for all practical purposes, unlimited
• WinRAR offers the ability to create selfextracting and multivolume archives
• Recovery record and recovery volumes allow to reconstruct even physically damaged archives
• WinRAR features are constantly being developed to keep WinRAR ahead of the pack

a-Squared Anti-Malware 4.5  - Worth $40!!

a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 provides comprehensive PC protection against trojans, viruses, spyware, adware, worms, bots, keyloggers, rootkits and dialers.

2 cleaning scanners in 1: Anti-Virus + Anti-Spyware

• Not just any scanners, but a combination of two world class products – the a-squared Anti-Spyware, and the Ikarus Anti-Virus engine. Latest tests approve that both are cutting edge in Malware detection
• No doubling of the scan duration as would be the case with two separate scanning programs. Considerable performance improvement is possible thanks to the integration of the two engines on the lowest level
• No double price – two top security products for the price of one.

2 guards against new infections: signature scan + behavior analysis

• When a Malware infection is detected, the scanner puts the found objects under quarantine or deletes them finally
• Anti-Malware holds plenty of advanced options for experts to detect and delete Malware manually. For this purpose the integrated system analysis tool HiJackFree is included, and helps you to have all processes, services, auto-runs, open ports, browser plug-ins, LSPs and host entries under your control
• For tough problems our helpful Malware experts are at your disposal for free. With their help, any infection, no matter how resistant it is, can be purged – guaranteed

Protect your PC and start bidding now! If you don’t win then you can still try a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 free for 30 days!

Windows 7 News Christmas Giveway Started – Over $8000 In Prizes To Be Won!!! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Yesterday I announced our Christmas Giveaway where we have prizes worth over $7k available for readers to win.  Everyday between Dec 1st and Dec 24th we will be giving away a minimum of $300 of hardware and/or software to lucky readers.  To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is visit our Christmas Giveaway site and bid on the prizes you’d like to win.  It’s a reverse auction so the lowest unique bid wins – you can enter as many times as you like for free!

Auctions will run from 24 hours each day starting at 8PM PST – keep checking the site for details of the new prizes you can win!  Start bidding now!!

Day 1 Christmas Giveaway Prizes

On the first day of the Giveaway we have 3 great prizes totalling $385 available:

• 1 Year Giganews Platinum Account – Worth $300!!
• Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!
• Copy of a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 - Worth $40!!

1 Year Giganews Platinum Account – Worth $300!!

The winner with the lowest unique bid will win a FREE Giganews Platinum account worth $300! With a Giganews Platinum account from the leading Usenet Provider you get Unlimited Monthly Bandwidth Allowance, 478 days retention and much more:

• 109,000 Uncensored Newsgroups
• 256-bit SSL Encryption and 50 connections
• 24hr Member Support
• 99%+ Completion rate
• Broadband Download Speeds

Don’t worry if you don’t win as Giganews currently have an amazing 50% off the first two months offer!

Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!

WinRAR can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

WinRar Benefits

• Using WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression by consistently making smaller archives than the competition, saving disk space and transmission costs
• WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives
• WinRAR offers a graphic interactive interface utilizing mouse and menus as well as the command line interface
• When you purchase WinRAR license you are buying a license to the complete technology, no need to purchase add-ons to create self-extracting files, it’s all included
• WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special “Wizard” mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use
• WinRAR offers you the benefit of industry strength archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits
• WinRAR supports files and archives up to 8,589 billion gigabytes in size. The number of archived files is, for all practical purposes, unlimited
• WinRAR offers the ability to create selfextracting and multivolume archives
• Recovery record and recovery volumes allow to reconstruct even physically damaged archives
• WinRAR features are constantly being developed to keep WinRAR ahead of the pack

a-Squared Anti-Malware 4.5  - Worth $40!!

a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 provides comprehensive PC protection against trojans, viruses, spyware, adware, worms, bots, keyloggers, rootkits and dialers.

2 cleaning scanners in 1: Anti-Virus + Anti-Spyware

• Not just any scanners, but a combination of two world class products – the a-squared Anti-Spyware, and the Ikarus Anti-Virus engine. Latest tests approve that both are cutting edge in Malware detection
• No doubling of the scan duration as would be the case with two separate scanning programs. Considerable performance improvement is possible thanks to the integration of the two engines on the lowest level
• No double price – two top security products for the price of one.

2 guards against new infections: signature scan + behavior analysis

• When a Malware infection is detected, the scanner puts the found objects under quarantine or deletes them finally
• Anti-Malware holds plenty of advanced options for experts to detect and delete Malware manually. For this purpose the integrated system analysis tool HiJackFree is included, and helps you to have all processes, services, auto-runs, open ports, browser plug-ins, LSPs and host entries under your control
• For tough problems our helpful Malware experts are at your disposal for free. With their help, any infection, no matter how resistant it is, can be purged – guaranteed

Protect your PC and start bidding now! If you don’t win then you can still try a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 free for 30 days!

$7K Christmas Giveaway – Day 1 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Win Over $9K In Free Prizes In Our Christmas Giveaway!!

Update: Our Prize Pot is now over $9k!!

This year we have an amazing Christmas treat for our readers.  Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been working with a select number of partners to create an amazing list of prizes that we will be giving away for free everyday starting Dec 1st and ending on Dec 24th.  In total we will be aiming to give away over $300 each day in prizes – that’s over $8000K total in prizes!

Some of the great offers we already have confirmed are:

• $300 of Free PC Memory from Crucial Memory
• $300 of Software from Uniblue
• 2 x N+ Router and N+ Wireless Adapters from Belkin
• 6 Unlimited Online Backup Accounts From Mozy
• $300 of software from Acronis
• $300 in Amazon vouchers
• $300 in international pre-pay SIMs from MobilityPass
• And many more great offers!!!

How To Play

Everyday we will be giving away one or more prizes worth $300 or more. For each of the prizes there will be a daily reverse auction.   Never heard of a reverse auction?  Well, unlike a normal auction where the highest bid wins in a reverse auction the lowest unique bid wins the given prize!  This makes the competition a lot more fun.

Worked Example of a Reverse Auction:

• four people bid ’1′
• two people bid ’2′
• five people bid ’3′
• two people bid ’4′
• one person bids ’5′
• five people bid ’6′
• one person bids ’7′

In this auction there are two unique bids, 5 & 7, but the person who bid 5 wins because their bid was the lowest unique bid.

It’s free to enter and you can bid as many times as you like each day.   To play all you have to do is go to http://www.everything-microsoft.com/auction and register -it’s that simple!  Register now so that you are ready to start playing in the first auction starting on Tuesday.  Remember to keep checking back to see what prizes are coming up to win.

Also visit ghacks where Martin is also giving away thousands of dollars in prizes!!

Day 1 Christmas Giveaway Prizes – Auctions end 8PM PST 1/12/09

On the first day of the Giveaway we have 3 great prizes totalling $385 available:

• 1 Year Giganews Platinum Account – Worth $300!!
• Free Copy of WinRAR – Worth $45!!
• Copy of a-squared Anti-Malware 4.5 - Worth $40!!

Day 2 Christmas Giveaway Prizes – Auctions end 8PM PST 2/12/09

On the second day of the Giveaway we have 3 great prizes totalling $325 available:

• Free utilities and performance software from UNIBLUE - Worth $100!!
• Free Unlimited Online Backup Account from Mozy - Worth $55!!
• More software from UNIBLUE - Worth $30!!
• Free Copy of MediaMonkey Gold - Worth $40!!
• Free copy of RecoverMyFiles - Worth $100!!

Read more about the Christmas Giveaway Day 1 prizes.

If you would like to see your products featured in the giveaway then drop me a line at everton@everything-microsoft.com as we have a couple of days left to fill, and I’ll explain the benefits of taking part.

$9K Christmas Giveaway! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Thank you to everybody who entered our competition to win a copy of the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in paperback.  The quality of the entries was very high and gave us a few laughs too 

The lucky winner of a copy of the paperback is Jon Van Sickle from Northridge, California with this ditty about why he loves Windows 7…

It’s so sleek looking, it rules
Color hot track, light years beyond cool
Bling customization jewels
Love jump lists among preview tools

Ten lucky runners up all receive a copy of the ebook.  They are Eli Jaffe, Vinni, David Fucaloro, Sriram, Dean Kelemecz, Jose D Morales, Stoobee, Thomas Booker, Macy Fuqua and Richard Painter.

This Windows 7 user guide, written by one of the staff writers here at your favourite Windows news website is for people who use Windows 7 at home or at work and who want to get more from it, but who don’t know how.

The ebook is currently on special offer to mark the launch of Windows 7, and is retailing for only £2.99 from http://stores.lulu.com/windows7 with the paperback also reduced 25% to £29.99.

Windows 7 Power Users Guide competition winners was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Windows7News is offering you an exclusive chance to win a free copy of the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in paperback.  This new book is a follow-on from the “Windows Vista Power Users Guide”, described by the new media editor of Windows Vista: the Official Magazine as “a really in-depth guide to Windows Vista that everyone should at least have a look at”.

The new book was recently reviewed by Digitizor.com who described the book as “unbeatable.”

This 180 page Windows 7 user guide is aimed at everyday users, the people who use Windows at home or at work and would like to be able to get more from it and their software.  It’s also a guide that IT professionals can recommend to their friends and family, as an addition to any technical support they offer themselves.

What’s more it’s been written by one of the staff writers here at Everything-Microsoft.com!

For a chance to win all you have to do is tell us, in no more than 30 words why you love Windows 7.  Email your entries to competitions@everything-microsoft.com by midnight on October 21st and a Winner will be picked on Windows 7 launch day, October 22nd.

There’s one copy of the book in paperback up for grabs plus 10 copies of the ebook for the runners up.

Winners will be notified by email and then we’ll announce the winner here by October 24th (as we anticipate the 22nd will be quite busy!)  The judges decision is final.  It may take up to 28 days for delivery of the paperback and downloads will be available after 1st November.

Good luck to all 

1 day left to Win the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in Paperback was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Windows7News is offering you an exclusive chance to win a free copy of the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in paperback.  This new book is a follow-on from the “Windows Vista Power Users Guide”, described by the new media editor of Windows Vista: the Official Magazine as “a really in-depth guide to Windows Vista that everyone should at least have a look at”.

The new book was recently reviewed by Digitizor.com who described the book as “unbeatable.”

This 180 page Windows 7 user guide is aimed at everyday users, the people who use Windows at home or at work and would like to be able to get more from it and their software.  It’s also a guide that IT professionals can recommend to their friends and family, as an addition to any technical support they offer themselves.

What’s more it’s been written by one of the staff writers here at Everything-Microsoft.com!

For a chance to win all you have to do is tell us, in no more than 30 words why you love Windows 7.  Email your entries to competitions@everything-microsoft.com by midnight on October 21st and a Winner will be picked on Windows 7 launch day, October 22nd.

There’s one copy of the book in paperback up for grabs plus 10 copies of the ebook for the runners up.

Winners will be notified by email and then we’ll announce the winner here by October 24th (as we anticipate the 22nd will be quite busy!)  The judges decision is final.  It may take up to 28 days for delivery of the paperback and downloads will be available after 1st November.

Good luck to all 

Win the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in paperback (+10 ebooks) was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

As Windows 7 continues to grow we need to gather information about our readers so that we can serve better adverts.  I know that many users don’t like adverts, but they are a necessary evil so that we can pay the editorial team and so we can pay our hosting bill.

It would really help the team if you could fill in this 5 minute survey that will gather demographic information about our readers, along with behavioral and ownership questions.  If you could spare a few minutes it would be greatly appreciated.  As a ‘sweetener’, all entrants will be entered into a draw to win a $100 VISA gift card.  The $100 gift card can be used worldwide, so don’t be put off if you live outside the US.

Thanks in advance to those readers that help out.

Take The Survey

Win A $100 Visa Gift Card was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Update: We have withdrawn Windows 7 News from the competition

The competition to find the best Windows 7 News website has been restarted because four of the other sites were cheating.  Windows 7 News of course was not one of the cheating sites, which explains why we were in 4th place – what other explanation could there be?

Anyway, if you’ve voted previously can you vote again, and if you haven’t please get your mouses out now.  At the moment we are 2nd, but there’s only been 16 votes so far….

Vote Now

Vote (Again) For Your Favourite Windows 7 Website was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

After 347 entries in total, Martin and I finally selected a winner for the $200 logo competition.  The decision was unanimous, and we selected entry #318 from Satsuki.  We didn’t realise that Satsuki was one of our regular readers and the same person who fixed the repeat on the site background.

Below is his raw entry, which we will tweak slightly before adding to the site.  We can’t wait to add the logo!

Congratulations to Satsuki For Winning The Logo Competition was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

After the EU’s antitrust case against Microsoft for ‘abusing its dominant position’ in the browsers usage share by bundling Internet Explorer along with Windows 7, Microsoft has decided to ship an “E” version of Windows 7 for European countries which won’t come with any browser. This made many users wonder how they’ll be able to obtain a browser (from the internet) since there’s no way to browse the internet in the first place!

Microsoft has provided instructions for installing the Windows 7 E editions on the Windows 7 (United Kingdom) website. The instructions included the additional step of saving a preferred browser on a storage medium (CD/DVD, USB or external hard drive…) before installing Windows and obviously, reinstalling it once the setup is complete. This means that users will not be provided with a list of browsers to choose from after installing Windows 7 as some expected (or wished).

If you’d like to save and install your preferred browser before installing a Windows 7 E edition, simply:

• Download your preferred browser (ordered depending on usage share according to the Wikipedia):

Internet Explorer	http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx
Firefox	http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ie.html?from=getfirefox
Safari	http://www.apple.com/safari/
Chrome	http://www.google.com/chrome
Opera	http://www.opera.com/

• Copy installation file to a storage medium (e.g. memory stick, CD, etc.)
• Install Windows 7
• Install the browser and start browsing the internet!

It is also expected that browsers may be sold on CDs with the operating system, as Neowin mentioned:

Microsoft has made Internet Explorer 8 available for order, on disk. The disk costs £3.44, excluding VAT. For many users, this will not be necessary, but Amazon.de is offering the Internet Explorer 8 disk as an extra anyway, for €3.99. Firefox is also available to order, from the Mozilla Store.

However, there isn’t sufficient information available yet about this issue. Lastly, there will be a Windows 7 “N” version which is similar to the “E” version, but excludes the Windows Media Player as well.

Installing a Browser in Windows 7 E was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

You only have 2 days left to enter the $200 competition to design a new logo for Windows 7 News and Windows 8 News.  There’s 2 days left to go and we need to pick a winner from the 190 entries so far.

Because there have been so many entries we need your help selecting a winner.  Some of the entries are pretty awful, but some have potential.  I’ve added some of my favourites below, but all of the entries can be seen at logomyway.  If you’re a budding designer there’s still time to enter.

[Show as slideshow]

1234...678►

$200 Logo Competition Ends In 2 Days was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

For the last couple of weeks we’ve been running a $200 competition to design a new logo for Windows 7 News and Windows 8 News.  There’s 2 days left to go and we need to pick a winner from the 190 entries so far.

Because there have been so many entries we need your help selecting a winner.  I’ve added some of my favourites below, but all of the entries can be seen at logomyway.  If you’re a budding designer there’s still time to enter.

[Show as slideshow]

1234567►

Please Help Select Logo Competition Winner was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

I’m pleased to say that we have a winner for the $200 BeanBag Competition.   We had over 200 entries submitted via the forum in the end, which was fantastic.  Please say congratulations to Tim Brazer who will very shortly be the proud owner of a new beanbag!

If you didn’t win don’t worry, as I will be giving away a 2nd bag on Connected Internet later this week, so subscribe now to ensure you don’t miss the competition.  We are also running a $200 competition to find a new logo for Windows 7 News and Windows 8 News.

$200 BeanBag Competition Winner!! was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

To celebrate the launch of Windows 8 News we’ve decided to run another competition! We need two logos, one for Windows 7 News and one for Windows 8 News, that will look amazing in the header and also as a thumbnail image. The competition offers any budding designers not only an opportunity to win $200, but to also display their talents to a large base of users, as all entries will be displayed on the site because readers will choose the best logo and the winner.

Rules:

1. No limit to the number of entries
2. Entries to be submitted via logomyway
3. Thumbnail logo must be 120×120
4. Main logo must be no bigger than 250 x105
5. Must work on white background
6. Decision of the editors will be final

If you’re not a designer, then don’t forget you’ve still got a week to enter our competition to win a funky $200 beanbag.

Design A New Logo For Windows 8 News And Win $200 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Everton: I’m re-posting this as it got lost in the migration

The migration to a new server has gone successfully and the DNS is propagating nicely around the globe. Users should already be able to see much faster page loading times, which will be improved further as we’ve employed an expert to tweak the server and site.

The move was necessary because Windows 7 News continues to grow rapidly and is heading towards the magic 1 million unique users/month landmark, and we needed to add extra capacity to handle future growth. We also needed a host with better SLAs and a phone hotline, as our previous host were taking too long to respond when issues occurred. I’d like to thank WiredTree for delivering on their promises and for providing a great server (specs) at a low cost.

Also, hosted on the new server is Windows 8 News, which we’ve slowly been building up. It’s a bit light on content at the moment as there’s not a lot of news about Windows 8, but add the site to your favourite RSS reader now so you don’t miss out on Windows 8 News and Rumours as soon as they happen.

To celebrate the launch of Windows 8 News and the new server (and also because we can’t use the same logo on both sites!), we’ve decided to run another competition! We need two logos, one for Windows 7 News and one for Windows 8 News, that will look amazing in the header and also as a thumbnail image. The competition offers any budding designers not only an opportunity to win $100 $200, but to also display their talents to a large base of users, as all entries will be displayed on the site because readers will choose the best logo and the winner.

Rules:

1. No limit to the number of entries
2. Entries to be submitted via logomyway
3. Thumbnail logo must be 120×120
4. Main logo must be no bigger than 250 x105
5. Must work on white background
6. Decision of the editors will be final

If you’re not a designer, then don’t forget you’ve still got a week to enter our competition to win a funky $200 beanbag.

Design A New Logo For Windows 7 News And Win $200 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

UPDATE: Please read the rules!  Entries will only be accepted via the forum – not via email or in a comment!

It’s time for our first competition on Windows 7 News! Enter today for a chance to win a fantastic prize.

We’re giving away a fantastic Omni or SumoSac beanbag worth just under $199 USD, courtesy of the generous folks over at Sumolounge.  These are not the lumpy, $20 uncomfortable beanbags you used to have in the corner of your bedroom. Sumolounge’s beanbags are designed for the 21st century ad feature a durable finish of rip proof nylon

The Omni beanbag is a super-sized beanbag that will fit any room, and offers 10 versatile positions and comes in 10 groovy colors.  The SumoSac chair is finished in soft, machine washable microsuede and is available in 4 very popular colors. Both are guaranteed to stay fluffy and comfortable.

Check out the pictures of some very cool (and sexy!) people ‘modelling’ the sumolounge beanbags:

[Show as slideshow]

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Still not sure?  Then maybe this video will convince you:

[VIDEO]httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm1lWU8cUvY

Now, I can’t promise you that your Sumolounge beanbag will come with 8 Playgirls, but don’t let that put you off entering the competition!

How To Enter

To enter all you have to do is to tell me where in the world the picture in the Windows 7 Wallpaper below was taken.

Rules:

• Competition ends 22:00 GMT 3rd July
• All entries must be sent to me as a MESSAGE in the Windows 7 Forum (NO OTHER ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED – EVEN SPOILERS IN COMMENTS!!!!)
• After the closing date, I will put all the entries into a hat and will select an entrant at random
  

To find out the answer then check out our Windows 7 Wallpaper galleries (clue: gallery 8).

Competition: Win $200 Of Super Cool Goods was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley believes that Windows 7 may be released in ‘components’ where customers will be able to choose which features they want to install, rather than every part of Windows 7 and the kitchen sink as well being installed as a default e.g. if you don’t want the mail, photos or video features then you could choose to not install them.

Although this approach will allow Microsoft to avoid attacks from competitors and regulators that they are forcing all of their features onto users, I just can’t see Microsoft doing this as it is one of their clear business tactics. Do you think Internet Explorer would have such a high adoption rate if it weren’t bundled with Windows? Would anyone use Live Search if it wasn’t rammed down users’ throats at every opportunity?

Modular installation could help keep installation sizes down, as I’m sure Windows 7 will need at least 3 times the disk space that Vista does.

Windows 7 May Be Broken Up Into Components was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.